Method of making sucker rods



Ndv. 6, 1928. 1,690,612

F. E. ANDERSON ET AL METHOD OF MAKING SUCKER RODS Filed Nov. 25, 1925 jEwent'ans:

Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED S T- 55;

1,690,612 nrsm OFFICE.

FRANK A D RS N AND FOR ST E f'imBPE-oF JCODUMZBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO :LHncoLUM B-Us sucmmjnon COMPANY, onooLn'iimns, 01110, A conPoRATIoN'oF OHIO.

METHOD or MAKING sticknnnons.

Aiiil'li'cation' file November 25; 1926; sea-m1 m. 71,340;

hr invention relates to, sucker rods ofwhich a string is used in pninping deep wells such as oil wells; ,The depth of suchwells is eonstantly'being increiised now being drilled as 11inch as live thousand feet deep; On account oi the reatly increased deptli oi the" wells, the strings of sucker rods ns'edlin' pumping the wells frequently break because of the great length and increased weightot such strings.

The size Of'liltinlxl diameter ofi'the easing; used i'n'thewells limits the transverse di mensions 0f the couplings for the suckemods' and the sucker rods, which inalies mate rial increase in such dimensions practically impossible. Breakage of asrodinwstiingjof sneker 'rodsis a fieqiient enuse'oflong zind eXpens'iVe'delays in the well pn1n15ing operations- Su'eker rods as made heretofore gen-Q ere-11y fail by breakingat} or closely f adj aeent to the point where the head on the ends of eaehsncker rod joins the body portion of the rods Another fa ter in themdst of pninping wells is hecansethe heads on the ends of the rod se'ot ionsheeomej upset by long use, such lilp'settinfg' making it difficult to diseonneet the sucker rod eonplin'gs as' is; done when re moving it string from a "well; and as is-necessary from time totime in ordet'toclean-the well, andjt'o enable 'repajirsbeing' nade tofithe pumpcylinder on thelower'end offthe well easin'gfat the bottom of the well and forviiri ons other 'reasons.

One object of our invention is the provision "of fa novel method of' makin'g sucker rods resulting in" a" sucker 'rod and rod coupling of inidroved' construction whereby the strength and dnmliilityfof stringofthe rods is materially increased without meteriztl increase" in the weight of the" string and with little or no redi ctionin the clearance Between the string aind the'innersnrifaee'off the well casing in which the string is suspended when in use. i

' Another obj eat of the invention' isthe provisio'no'f a novelmethod ofnia'kin the sucker rods and rod couplin swherehyti le:increased sti'engtli and durability of" the rods and rod couplings are attained in a: rapid, cheap and economical manner. I

Still fnrther objects of the invention will he made ap arent hereinafter in the 'd'ethiled description oftheinvention.

The invention consists in the novel 0onstructions "and arrangement ofparts forming the {lSSBHIblGd stringof sucker rods, in the way the ends of the rods are enlarged and provided with heads, and in the improved series of steps used i'n making ther'ods.

Referring now to the drawings forming pzt'rt'of this specification, Figure l is aplan showmgpartof a string of suckerrods made in' accordance with our invention, as asse'm bled for use in pumping.

Figure 2 is e longitudinal section, on a largerseale, showin'g a preferred construetionof sucker rodandrod coupling made in :ic'eorddnce with onrrinvention.

Figure 3 is a transverse section of the Constrii'ction" shown in Figure 2; the left-hand hall of Figure 3 being taken on the line 111 111; and the right hand half on the line IH -III of Figure i Figured is a longitudinal section similar to Figure 2, showing a modifiedi'or m of 'conpling enibodying certa-in feat'u'r'es of out-in vention. i F igni'e 5 is zt't ransverse section-0n th'e'lih'e V+V of Figure 4.

Tn theaccompanying drawings, thel'ettei A designates the sticker rods of the series used in forini'ng 2; string,- and" B" the couplings by which the adjoining ends of the rods are ihstened to 'one another when assenihled'into the string;

"Eac'hof the' rods A which, as shown, are ofc'irenlar erosssection, has it circular head h eachend; the heads 2 being for-med integi -z l on the enlzt'rgedend l ortions 2 of the rods and theend portions- 2 preferably beingl connected" by a; tzipering portion 2 to the'hody portion 2 oftlierods A The enlit'ilgedp'ortions 2 and 2 and the heads 2 erewforn ed bynpsetting the ends of the or in any other'dfpproved manner, and the hendsQQ and enlarged portions 2* preferabli will be machined or turned to tlieflforging the rodsmay hefonn'd to he suflide t; in i The] couplii'igs B arefonhed of a sleeve foriningthe hottorns 0i? the recesse's'Yw'hich engage withthe end feces of thehe'ads on tlie'r-ods; A hole' Gumy be provided ihthe threaded glands 7 by which the ends of the sucker rods A are secured within the re cesses of the sleeves'B,

In the construction shown in Figures 2 and 3,:the enlarged ends or heads 2 of the sucker rods are of a diameter slightly smaller. than that of the recesses 4 inwhich the" heads larged ends or heads of the rods are made of a diameter to neatly fit within the, un-

threadedportion of the recess l.

The sleevesI}, as shown, have parallel ,fiattened faces 8 on opposite sides oftheir longitudinal axis to provide means for engagement by a wrench so as to preve'ntturning of the sleeves whenthe glands 7 are being screwed into or out of the recesses l.

The sleeves maybe of polygonal cross section when desired, instead of circulanns shown.

.In the construction shown in Figures 2 and 3, the glands 7 are split axially into two halvesrand in. such case the contacting faces 7*, of the half glands are provided with registeri'ng dowel pins '9 and holes 10 adapted tomaintain the twoparts of each "gland in alinement and preventmovement of one relative to the other, when inserting-or removing the glands V e In the construction shown in Figures 4 and 5, thesleeve is the same as in that of Figure 2, except that the hole 6 is omitted from the septum 5, and the glands 7 are the same except that they are made of one piece and are not split lengthwise.

lVhen the glands 7 of Figures 4 and 5 are used, two of them. will be properly positioned on the cylindrical rods A beforethe second one of the two upset ends or heads 2 is formed on the rod. The glands and the enlarged portions 2f of the sucker rods are machined to a diameter to form a sliding fit on the enlarged lends 2 of the rods A so. as to enable the glands toturn, when being screwed into the sleeves, int-o holding engagement withthe enlarged rod end or head 2 positioned vithin therecessG in the sleeve B. p

The inner end, orend of the glands which .engages'with the head2 of the rods A has-a cylindrical portion 11 of a diameter toneatly .fitinto the unthreaded portion of the recesses am the sleeves B, as is shown in FiguresQ and 4:. Hexagonal outer ends 12 on the glands provide means for using a Wrench when screwing-the glands into and. out of the sleeves, and the glands of Figure 2, for a purpose to be described, preferably are split lengthwise. s g Y The enlarged bodyportions 2 onthe ends ofthe rods A will be made of; a diameterto have a relatively close sliding fit within the glands 7 so that when the glands are tightly screwed into place in the sleeves or couplings B the ends of the rods will be rigidly held of the string of sucker rods, each rod A will be carefully heat treated after the enlarged portions 2 and heads 2'have been formed we thereon. In carrying out this heat treatment, the rods willjbe uniformly heated to above the upper critical point, and then quenched. After the quenching operationtherods will again be heated to below the critical point, I

and then allowedto cool slowly in air. By

heat treating carbon steel sucker rods in this way, thetensile strength ofthe rods ismaterially increased, and the heads 2 on their ends are hardenedso as to prevent the undesirable enlargei'nent caused by the heads gradually becoming upset by long continued use,

aresult heretofore obtained with such rods as made heretofore. The physical properties of the rods may be further increased by'using an alloy steel instead of'la makingthe rods. I Q In heat treating rods with integrally formed glands 7 positioned thereon, some difiiculty may be experienced in making the heattreatment of the rod uniform, because of the influence ofthe body of metal forming the gland in the heatingand coolingsteps of the heattreatment. For that reason the split glands 7 of Figure 2preferablywill be used, as such glands are not positionedon the rods until the rods are being assembled into a string. The split'gla nds also are peculiarly well adapted for use in making repairs to a broken stringof sucker rods.

In forming a string .therods A are succarbon steel in cessively lowered into the well casing. The

lengthuntil the string extends downwardly within the well for the desired distance.

In removing the string from the well, as isfoundnecessary from time to time, it is lifted until one or more of the rods A project above the upper end of the well casing. The

projectingrod or rods isthenunfastened from the string by unscrewing the glands in the coupling'B, and laid to one side. 'These OPGIiLtlOIlS are then repeated until the entire string has been removed from the well.,

The advantagesof our invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Modifications in the construction and arrangement" of the parts may be made without departing from our invention as defined in the claims. Vamous alloy steels may be employed as Well as a plain carbon steel in making the rods and couplings. The rods may be made of tubes instead of solid bars, as shown. The cross-section of the rods may vary and the shape of the enlarged heads on the rods may be changed and other modifications may be made Within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The method of making sucker rods which consists in enlarging each end of the rod by upsetting, forging integral heads on the upset ends and then heat treating the soformed rod to thereby increase its physical properties.

2. The method of making sucker rods which consists in enlarging the ends of a rod by upsetting, enlarging the upset ends to form heads thereon, positioning a pair of hollow screw threaded glands on the rodbefore forming at least one of said heads, and

then heat treating the rod to thereby increase its physical properties.

3. The method of making sucker rods which consists in enlarging each end of the rod by upsetting, forging integral heads on the upset ends, then uniformly heating said rods above the upper critical point, and quenching said rods, then heating said rods to a point below the critical point, and allowing said rods to cool slowly in air.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands.

FRANK E. ANDERSON. FOREST H. THORPE. 

